Wild Widow

The Wild Widow, manufactured by the Baker-Case Manufacturing Company of Racine, Wisconsin in June 1932, is a pure mechanical (PM) pinball machine from the earliest days of the industry -- a period before electromechanical scoring and flippers had been introduced. It offers a window into pinball's carnival-game origins prior to its later evolution into electronic machines.

Gameplay costs 10 balls for 5 cents, with players aiming for any of the game's 57 trap holes. Two versions of the artwork are known to exist: the poker-themed cabinet shown here, and a dice-themed variant with card-game-style instructions on a wood marquee. The cabinet itself is substantial, measuring 48 inches long, 23 1/2 inches wide, and 35 1/4 to 40 inches high.

The machine's gambling-adjacent theme -- cards, dice, and poker -- reflects the games of chance popular in amusement venues of the early Depression era. Little is documented about its designer, but its size, dual-theme artwork, and early manufacture date make the Wild Widow a significant find for collectors of pre-flipper pinball.